The High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to a jailed rapist and asked him to recognise his child and pay her maintenance and education cost.
A women and children repression (prevention) tribunal in Natore on August 9, 2016, sentenced the rapist, Sree Chandan Kumar, of Bagatipara in Natore, to life imprisonment and fined him Tk 50,000 for raping a college student, who later gave birth to a baby girl.
Chandan prayed for the bail stating that he is the legitimate father of the girl, who is now eight-year-old, and he would take care of all the maintenance till her marriage.
He said that his daughter was now under custody of her mother.
The bench of Justice SM Kuddus Zaman and Justice AKM Rabiul Hassan granted Chandan鈥檚 six months bail and asked him to submit a report to the court paying the maintenance cost after six months.
His bail would stand cancelled in case of his failure to submit the compliance report, according to the High Court鈥檚 order.
The High Court, however, asked Chandan鈥檚 lawyer Muhibullah Tanvir to prepare his client鈥檚 appeal against the life term jail ready for hearing in six months.
Chandan at midnight on June 17, 2010, knocked her doors and raped her stating that he would marry her the next day but he later refused to marry.
The victim on August 23, 2010, filed a rape case against Chandan after he refused to marry her and the investigation officer submitted a charge sheet in this regard on September 23, 2010.
Chandan has been detained in jail for nearly eight years, according to his lawyer Muhibullah Tanvir.
Assistant attorney general Mirza Mohammed Soyeb Muhit opposed to rapist鈥檚 bail.